Reading all the responses I feel the frustration.
I came from a poor family. I worked my butt off multiple jobs to be able to retire early. I am not rich but I am a success story in the USA, a child of two immigrants that went to college and made something of myself and instead of poor am comfortable middle class.
With that said, some people I know choose not to work a higher paying job because they do not want to lose entitlements. Lets me add there are many who need our help as they did everything right but hit hard times.
Some friends who were as poor as me growing up and emerged much wealthier then me are also a success story. I do not feel they have to support me with paying higher personnel income taxes as they worked very hard to get where they got. We have to reward success so others strive for it.
Is there ever going to be an easy solution to taxes, no, but it is very important to see both sides of equation no matter what you believe, thats how productive changes happen, meeting in the middle.
My personal opinion, no personal income tax, flat sales tax on everything else. For the needy a card that exempts them from the tax.